Blank Faces
by Sunstar2
Summary: To have so much, to love so much and to lose it all. Rating may change.
1. Epilogue

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

A/N:  I know this is short but it's just the introduction…or ending…however you want to look at it.

Epilogue

Blank faces.  Blank, emotionless faces.  No one knows how to react for no one can quite believe it has happened.  She is not lying, cold as stone, on the warm leather of the lab chair.  The horrific wounds of her torture do not mar her beautiful body.  Any minute now she will burst through the door, laughter rippling sweetly from her lips.  Any minute now…

"Brennan?"  A small hand grasps my shoulder as an arm slips around my waist, trying in vain to comfort me.  Emma's dark head rests on my shoulder, I can feel the heat from her body but I remain cold.  I do not know if I will ever be warm again.  She died to save us all.


	2. Prologue

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

Prologue

SATURDAY NIGHT - 11pm

I watched her as she danced.  I often watch her as she dances, graceful, sensual, her hips sway hypnotically to the beat.  Tonight was no different.  She glided across the dance floor, ignoring the admiring glances of the men…and women, whose eyes followed her every movement as mine did.  

I could take no more.  I walked unsteadily across the floor towards her, alcohol playing no part in my dizziness as I approached her lithe form moving sinuously to the music blasting in my ears.  I was almost right behind her when she turned and looked into my eyes.  My brain, the rational part of my being, told me that I shouldn't do this, things would become too complicated if I went any further, but its logic was overwhelmed by my desire.  

My hands went to her still moving hips, drawing her closer to me as my body started to move in time with hers.  She didn't pull back but rather leaned further into my touch, her hands sliding up my arms to my shoulders, a slight smile gracing her features as she looked up at me.  

The music became faster and she moved closer to me, her body brushing against mine more and more frequently.  She turned in my grasp and wound her arms around my neck, leaning back against me, her golden locks flowing over my chest, her eyes closed in rapture.  Hesitantly I leant down and brushed my lips across her bare shoulder.  A faint yet visible shudder ran through her body and she pressed against me more firmly, her hands pulling my head down closer to her.  Encouraged, I kissed her again, gently, working my way along her shoulder and up the side of her slender neck to her ear.  She moaned softly, barely audible over the heavy music, and turned to face me again.

"Brennan…" she whispered, her eyes still closed.  I didn't reply but leant down towards her again, cupping her chin in my hand.  Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled such a beautiful smile I felt my knees weaken.  Her fingers tangled themselves in my hair as I drew her face close to mine.  Gently I pressed my lips against hers, my hand sliding against her cheek, my thumb rubbing gently along her cheekbone.  I deepened the kiss, feeling her lips part slightly, allowing my tongue to enter.  Her tongue tangled with mine as our bodies strained closer together.  She broke away suddenly,

"Brennan, this is wrong, we shouldn't do this…" she trailed off as I captured her mouth again.  I pulled away and kissed along to her ear,

"Does it feel wrong?" I whispered, flicking my tongue against her earlobe.  She shuddered,

"God no…it feels so damn right," she groaned.  I smiled at her,

"Well, then it's right," I replied.  

"I want it to be right, Brennan, I really do but it wouldn't be fair on the team." she answered unhappily.

"Do they need to know?" I asked pulling her even closer, wrapping my arms around her waist, ducking my head to nuzzle her neck.  As unhappy as she was a small giggle escaped her mouth as I blew softly on her throat.  "Shalimar, they don't have to find out, not yet.  I want this, do you?"

"Deep down, I've always wanted this Brennan, ever since we first met but I never thought it could become a reality.  Can it?  Is it possible that anything between us would have a chance?" she asked earnestly, looking into my eyes her own on the verge of tears.

"We could make it possible, Shal, we could give it a chance," I replied, my heart breaking as I watched her.  She reached up and kissed me, gently, wrapping her arms around me.

"I'd like that a lot," she whispered in my ear.  I took her hand and led her from the dance floor; neither of us wanted to stay at the club any longer…

We had left Emma and Jesse at the club, Adam was, for once, out with an old friend for the night, Sanctuary was empty.  Perfect.  The hallway was dark as we entered, silence abounded as we walked hand in hand towards the lounge.  She drew me in through the darkened doorway, her eyes flashing seductively,

"Come here," she whispered.  I moved in towards her obediently, tracing her jaw line with my fingers tips,

"You are beautiful, did you know that?"

"Well, yes actually," she grinned, "but thank you for saying so."

"You're welcome," I answered softly as I pulled her closer to me, guiding her over to the waiting couch.  I pushed her down beneath me as our kisses became more urgent, more passionate.  Her arms were wrapped around my neck, to keep me close to her.  A soft moan escaped her mouth as I broke away from her lips and began laying a trail of kisses down her neck towards her collarbone.  My hands found the zip of her top and I slid it slowly down, revealing the black satin of her bra beneath.  I slid the top down her arms and cast it to one side before returning my attention to her.  I teasingly trailed kisses down her chest towards her firm breasts but without going anywhere and I smiled to myself as I heard her groan in frustration, wanting more.  Her hands fumbled with the buttons of my shirt, clumsy in their haste.  She suddenly paused in her movements and her eyes slid into their feral state.

"Someone's here," she whispered into my neck.  I lifted my head but I could hear nothing.

"There's no-one ab…"

"Hey, Shal?  Brennan?  Where are you guys?"  Emma's voice resounded through Sanctuary making us both jump.  For all her understanding of emotions she had a habit of interrupting at the wrong time.  We both groaned and started to sort ourselves out before she could find us.  Shalimar grabbed her discarded top and dragged it back on, zipping it up as Emma came through the doorway.  It would have been funny, Emma stumbling in on us, except that were annoyed at being interrupted and as a result we were both a little short with her.

"Hell, Em, you could wake the dead," Shalimar growled, scowling at Emma who stood slightly uncertainly in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be asleep," she muttered looking quizzically at us.

"Yeah, that's your problem, you don't think," I retorted and got up, brushing past her.  Shalimar followed leaving Emma standing in the doorway, her eyebrows raised, unsure if I'd been jesting or serious.

Halfway down the hallway, out of Emma's sight, I felt Shalimar's hand slide up my back.  Grinning, I allowed her to gently guide me towards my room.  The door slid shut behind us and I turned to face her, her eyes glowing in the dark of the room.

"That wasn't nice," she whispered, "she had no idea what she walked in on."

"You were just as bad," I replied trying and failing to look stern.

"No I wasn't, at least I was civil."

"Is that what you call it?"  I was pushing my luck.  Her eyes glowed more intensely than before and a faint but audible growl eascaped her lips.  I saw a flash of white teeth before I was pushed backwards onto my bed and felt the warm weight of her body straddling my hips. She leaned down and we hungrily devoured each others mouths, probing and plundering.  Her hands wandered down to my shirt to finish her earlier work interrupted by Emma.  Her touch was like electricity, coursing through my body, adding to my own and soon our naked bodies were moulded together, afire with the passion, lust and love that raced through our veins. 

At first I thought things were moving too fast, after all we had only shared our first kiss earlier that night, then I realised that I loved this beauty so much that nothing with her could ever be too fast.  We never knew what would be waiting for us around the next corner; the only thing we knew for certain was our love for each other was real.  It was alive, pulsating with the energy we fed it.  So I gave in to my urges and she to hers.  We never knew what _was _waiting for us around that next corner until it was too late.


	3. Chapter 1

A/N:  Again, sorry for the delay in updating.  The next chapter should be up a bit quicker…hopefully, however the rating could change, either for the next chapter or the one after, so it'll likely end up moving section at some point.

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

Chapter 1

The best feeling in the world was waking up in her arms, to her smiling face greeting mine as I emerged from my slumber.  She grinned sleepily, her tousled blonde hair falling over her face.  Motioning for me to move closer, she lifted her head,

"I've decided I like your bed," she whispered in my ear.

"Well that's convenient because I've decided I like having you in my bed," I replied with a smile.  She giggled happily and snuggled in closer, burying her face in my neck, her hair tickling my nose.  "I suppose we should really get up, huh?"  I proposed the notion with a great degree of regret, lying in bed with her for the rest of the day was my idea of heaven and I could tell by her small groan at the suggestion that it was hers too.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled into my neck.  I laughed and closed my eyes, savouring the warmth of her body for five more precious minutes.

"What are we going to tell everyone?" I asked her fifteen minutes later, still cocooned beneath the thick quilt on my bed, five minutes having been nowhere near enough time.

"Nothing.  Nothing just now, I just want to have you all to myself with no one interfering or asking questions."

"Well that might be a bit of a problem seeing as how it's after midday and I'm sure they'll have figured out where we are by now."

"Midday?!" she yelped in surprise.

"Uh huh, we did stay up kind of late last night," I smirked.  She blushed a faint crimson,

"Oh yeah, we did didn't we?"

"Hell, yeah!"  I replied happily.  She stretched leisurely like a large cat, yawning and flexing her muscles.  

"I'm going to go for a shower, you want to save some water?" she asked with a cheeky wink.  It's amazing how long a simple thing like a shower can take when you are distracted.

An hour later we appeared in the lab, separately, although the knowing stares of our team-mates suggested that they had been working out their own conclusions about us.  

"Have a good night last night?"  Adam smiled at us.  

"Um…yeah," I stuttered slightly and Jesse and Emma grinned at me.  Damn them!

"Well that's good, but I'm afraid you're not getting the day off anymore.  I've had a call from my contact at one of our safe houses.  We're having problems with several individuals causing a bit of dissention.  She says they are becoming "mutinous" to put it mildly and we can not afford to have dissatisfied mutants in the safe houses, especially since we don't know the whereabouts of Eckhart.  Shalimar, Jesse, I want you two to go in.  I'm not sending all four of you because we don't want to intimidate them."

"Well, I know I run the risk off getting a severe beating but is Shalimar really the best person to send in if you don't want to intimidate them?" I joked.

"HEY!" she yelled.  I dodged the fist aimed at my shoulder and sniggered.

"Actually, no offence Shalimar, but that thought had crossed my mind," Adam admitted with a smile, "however the mutants we need to deal with were put into the underground by Shalimar and Jesse so I feel they might respond better to familiar faces and Shalimar knows perfectly well that she has to keep a hold on her temper!"  Shalimar stuck her tongue out at me and I responded in the same way and we both fell about laughing.  "Brennan, Emma, you two are just going to visit the other safe houses, routine checks, the usual.  There shouldn't be any problems but stay in contact okay?"  We all mock saluted and marched away probably leaving Adam to wonder whether we were really ten year olds in disguise.

"Why do we always get the boring jobs?" I complained for the third time to Emma as the Helix flew us to the fourth safe house location.  We had been out for nearly two hours and I was desperate to get back to Shalimar.  

"We don't," she replied, "just some times, and this needs to be done so there's no point complaining about it, again!  Besides, I think I would rather this than a bunch of mutinous mutants."

"At least it will be slightly more interesting than this," I sighed in answer.  Jesse and Shalimar had called in about half an hour ago to say they were just arriving and that they would call back when it was all sorted out.  I was hoping it wouldn't take too long, I had never wanted to be back in Sanctuary with Shalimar so much as I did right at that moment.  Emma and I had one more safe house on the list for that day and like the others, it required no more than a brief appearance, a few general enquiries and a brief goodbye.  In other words a total waste of our time.

We arrived back at Sanctuary to find Jesse and Shalimar still out and Adam working on another top secret project in the lab.  Some things will never change.  I left Emma to her own devices and wandered aimlessly around Sanctuary, wondering how long it would be before I would see her radiant smile again, desperate to hold her soft body if my arms again.  My footsteps guided me to my doorway.  We hadn't had time to make the bed before we left and the rumpled sheets still marked where our bodies had lain the night before.  

I sat down, running my hands over the folds in the sheets, imagining her silken skin under my fingers.  I inhaled deeply; her scent still lingered on the material, and felt another pang of longing for this beauty who had captured my heart.  I thought I had known love before this but I know now that I have never felt anything so intense, so passionate and so deep, the way I do when I am with her.  No one has ever made me feel like this before I met her.  I lay down where I had been with her in the morning, looking for all the world like a lovesick puppy, and waited for her to return to me.

But that return was not going to be any time in the near future.  Jesse's hoarse voice crackled over the com and I knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 2

A/N:  I wrote the start of this chapter in my Molecular Biology lecture which, although providing for those who are desperate for an update, doesn't exactly bode well for me passing my degree!  Also, I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, it is more of a filler chapter.  I promise the next will be longer.

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

Chapter 2

I have never heard so much fear in his voice as I did that day.  I knew before he spoke, before he told us what had happened.  I knew that somehow I had lost her.

"It was a set up," Jesse croaked hoarsely, "they used it to take her."  Emma must have heard my mental scream of anguish for she came running into my room, her head cradled in her hands.  

"Brennan!  Stop, please!  You're hurting me, I can't cope with all this!" she sobbed.  I couldn't help it, I knew I was causing Emma intense pain with the strength of my feelings but I had just lost the dearest thing to me and I couldn't cope either.

I was dimly aware of more people entering the room, alerted by Emma's sobs, and then I found myself face to face with Jesse, who looked almost as hopeless as I felt.    My fear and despair became anger.  

"Why didn't you save her?!" I yelled, jumping off the bed and catching him across the jaw with my fist.  He staggered back, shocked, his fingers going to his bleeding lip.  I ignored Emma's scream of pain as my anger overwhelmed her and advanced on Jesse who was backing up against the wall.  

"Brennan, I didn't have a chance, neither of us did.  They were too well prepared and we didn't expect it," he tried to explain but I was beyond listening.  All I knew was that they had Shalimar and Jesse had gotten away.  In my mind it became his fault.  I opened my clenched fist and a coil of electricity sprung into life.  I threw it with all my force at my friend's chest and it passed through him.  I never told any one but I had enough energy there to kill ten people and I used it against my friend.  I don't know what I would have gone on to do if it hadn't been for Adam.  A sharp pain in my neck was the only warning I had before darkness engulfed me.

A moment of blissful happiness preceded my awakening and return to the harsh reality that Shalimar was gone.  The glare of the lab lights caused me to screw up my eyes as they adjusted to the intrusion.  Three worried faces were hovering over me and the relief on their faces when I opened my eyes was evident.  I sought out Jesse's face and winced when I saw the results of my anger.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I don't know what happened to me.  I couldn't think straight."

"It's alright, I understand," he replied grasping my hand, "you were upset, things just happened."

"No, Jess.  I was a bastard, there was no way I should have done that.  It wasn't your fault and I shouldn't have blamed you."  He was silent, I guess he knew that I was right.  Adam spoke quietly from my side,

"I'm glad you are feeling better and I do understand that you are upset but you know that anger won't help Shalimar so you are going to have to get it under control and use it as a weapon against the right people."  I nodded, he had told me this before but when it's someone who means what she does, it's hard to think in perspective.  "Jesse, I want to know exactly what happened and who was there.  We need to see if we can try and work out why they only took Shalimar and where they might have her."  Jesse sat down on the nearest chair and began to tell us what had gone wrong.

"We arrived at the safe house with no problem and met Louise; she was the one who contacted you about the dissention.  She introduced everyone, most of them are fairly recent into the underground, but there were a couple of the older ones there, the ones that Shalimar and I put in a couple of years ago and they're the apparent ringleaders. We got talking to them and it seemed they were unhappy with how the whole Gabriel thing was handled.  Lack of information, never knowing if they were at risk and feeling that the underground was no longer stable and such.  We tried to explain that everything was okay now but they didn't want to know.  They were really rude to Shal, apparently they heard about her joining Gabriel-"

"But she didn't!" I protested loudly, "He took her.".

"I know, Brennan," Jesse shot back at me, "but they hadn't heard that bit, as far as they were concerned she was a traitor and that meant she wasn't worth listening to.  That's when things started to go wrong.  Shal was really pissed off, major feral style, and she wasn't concentrating on what was going on.  I wasn't either and neither of us noticed the other people who had slithered into the safe house."  The venom in his voice betrayed his anger at their failure to see the threat.  "Louise was in on it too.  They ambushed us right there.  I think there must have been about twenty in total, I never really got the chance to count.  Shalimar was taking them down great style, you know what she's like when she is angry, but there were just too many of them, we couldn't cope.  I don't know who got me but the next thing I remember is waking up and the place was empty.  The only trace of Shalimar was this," he finished pulling a small silver ring from his pocket.  

Shalimar's com link, my last link to her.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 3

A/N:  I hope this chapter answers any questions those who reviewed had, however if it doesn't then you will just have to wait until the fic is finished…mwah ha ha ha ha *cough cough* ha ha.

Lyrics are from "Into The West" from The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

Chapter 3

Waiting is the worst thing you will ever have to do, yet it was the only thing I could do.  We had no idea where she was, Jesse had gone back to the safe house with Emma to see if she could get a hit from Shalimar but I knew Adam wasn't holding out much hope for that option.  I was becoming more desperate with each passing minute, fear and anger damming up in my chest, constricting my throat, ready to burst out the second I gave way.  All I could think of was why had they taken her, why just her, what could they want with her.  I didn't believe what they had told Jesse, that crap about being unhappy with the way we had handled the whole Gabriel thing.  You don't start a mutiny five months after the reason for it has gone; it was just a front, a ploy to keep Shal and Jesse's attention from the fact that they were being ambushed and it worked.  

Adam was holed up in the lab, again.  He wasn't working though.  I could see him through the tinted glass windows.  He sat slumped dejectedly at his desk, staring ahead of him at something I couldn't see.  He normally would have taken charge in a situation like this, he had done when Gabriel had taken Shalimar, but as soon as Emma and Jesse had left for the safe house his strong front had shattered.  We had both lost the one thing which mattered most to us, he; his daughter, I; my love.

I rolled her band of silver between my fingers, they knew about the com rings, whoever they were.  Louise, one of the most trusted mutants in the underground had sold us out to someone for something.  Someone, something, more unknowns plaguing me.  And plague they did.  Minutes seemed like hours.  The normally calming whispers of the pools only served to grate on my already splintered nerves.  Everywhere I looked I saw reminders of her, heard her voice, smelt her scent.  I was slowly being driving insane with worry.  I could sit no longer, dreading the news that Emma would bring me.

The security tape, or what was left of it after the camera was shorted was still playing silently on the computer.  I wandered aimlessly over, watching her take down her attackers with the zest I knew so well before being finally overwhelmed.  The anger on her beautiful face was all too evident until a sharp blow to the back of her head knocked her unconscious.  I leaned over to turn the screen off; I couldn't watch her beaten into submission again, when a figure on the edge of the picture caught my eye.  The wild blonde tresses were unmistakable as was the aggressive stance …

"ADAM!"

*  *  *

"Brennan, be serious, the picture is not great and you and I both know that Shalimar does not have a twin."

"Enhance it," I demanded.  Adam complied shooting me worried looks, which I chose to ignore.  I knew I was right.

"See, Brennan.  It's not her, she just looks like Shalimar."  I looked at the enhanced image, crushed.  It was definitely not Shalimar, now that I could see the face more clearly.

"I'm sorry, Adam.  I'm looking for a reason, something to tell me why they took her, anything…" I knew I was becoming desperate, seeing things that were not there.  I dropped to the floor, my head between my knees and pressed my eyes shut, willing the hot tears to stay where they were, trapped behind my eyelids.  I couldn't let myself cry, couldn't let myself admit to defeat, not yet, not while there was still a small shred of hope.

"Brennan, go and get some rest, you look exhausted."  As much as I wanted to do as Adam had suggested, I fought with the waves of sleep threatening to overcome me.

"I want to be here when Jesse and Emma get back," I protested.

"And you will be but you are no use to Shalimar half dead, so please, go and rest.  I promise I will call you when they get back or we hear from them."  I cursed my feet then as they took me towards a slumber I did not want.  My body fell onto the bed, unaware of all but the welcome support it offered and I drifted into a dreamless black void.  

I awoke; I have no idea how much later to the realization of two things.  Firstly, I was in Shalimar's bed, my feet, carrying me to sleep had also taken me as close to her as was possible, and secondly, my com link had gone off which meant Adam had news.  Hope rose in me once more as I ran through to the main computers.  Adam was where I had left him, staring at the screen.

"Emma and Jesse are on their way back," he informed me without looking up.  I waited with bated breath. _ Please, please have found something, I begged silently.  My expectant silence caused Adam to turn to me and I saw the despair glimmering in unshed tears.  My legs gave way and I crashed against the wall.  I barely heard Adam's choked, "they couldn't find anything."_

_Hopes fades_

_Into the world of night_

_Through shadows falling_

_Out of memory and time_

TBC…


	6. Chapter 4

A/N:  Go me, I've managed to update this while the fic is still on the first page :D, I've had a little inspiration burst this past week and things are going to get darker very soon…

Disclaimer:  I don't own them but one day soon I will…then we will see…

Chapter 4

"All I found was fear.  Fear and anger.  The anger was Shalimar's but the fear, that wasn't hers.  Whatever happened there, she wasn't afraid," Emma reported, a hint of pride in her voice.  I felt the pride as well, my beauty could take care of herself and she wasn't afraid to show it.  "The fear was theirs; they were scared of her, that's why there were so many there, so they could overcome her by sheer numbers."  A growl of anger escaped me at this statement and I turned to leave.

"Brennan?" Adam called after me                                       

"I am going to find Shalimar," I threw back over my shoulder, "they thought they feared her…they know nothing of fear!"  The calls of my team mates followed me to the garage, begging me to go back, to wait.  To hell with waiting, I had waited long enough, Shalimar needed us, needed me and I wasn't going to sit around doing nothing.  I wanted answers.

*   *   *

When all else fails, go back to basics.  That was my philosophy and it had worked for me on countless occasions.  Nothing Adam could do could give me the information I wanted, but the streets were a gold mine of rumours and so I found myself sitting in a smoky and depressingly dark bar, tucked away in a less than pleasant area of the city, listening to drunken ramblings in the hope of sifting that lump of gold from the silt.

For a world still supposedly unaware of New Mutants, the local scruff seemed to be all too aware that something was afoot.  The ramblings, while mostly nonsensical, were more frequently becoming laced with tales of golden eyes in dark alleys, strange weather phenomenon, uncanny and disturbing events in the mind and miraculous escapes.  Fortunately for ourselves, said ramblings were usually taken as just that.

Four bars later and I was ready to shock the next bastard who walked in the door.  Being off the streets had dimmed my memory of the type of life people like these led and it was a disturbing reminder of how I could have ended up if Adam hadn't appeared…if Shalimar hadn't appeared.  Shalimar…how I wished _she_ would appear in the doorway, her blond hair tumbling in waves down her back…

"Yeah, some damn feisty blonde bitch.  Somethin' 'bout revenge or so I heard-"  I snapped from my daydream and located the gravelly voice, only a few tables from me, "-put up quite a fight, still is from what he showed me."  The harsh laughter grated on my nerves and I resisted the urge to knock the idiot's head off.  I knew better than to create a scene in the middle of a crowded pub no matter what I could learn from the ill favoured looking owner of the voice.  Twenty minutes later, when he stood and left the bar, I followed as a shadow, thankful for the vandalised streetlights giving me the darkness I needed capture my prey.  A swift kick to the back of his knees brought him down to the ground and I pinned him against the wall with my body, one hand around his neck as an incentive.

"Tell me about your feisty blonde bitch," I growled, hating to refer to Shalimar in such a way.  He remained silent, squinting up at me and wriggling in my grasp.  I tightened the hand around his neck, encouragingly, forcing his head back against the wall.  "Tell me what I want to know and I'll consider letting you go."

"I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, mate," he choked out."

"Oh, alright," I replied, letting him up.  He glanced at me before bolting as fast as his heavy frame would allow.  With a brief check, ensuring I had no audience, a telsa coil erupted from my finger tips, bringing him down again.  This time he put up no resistance as I slammed him against the wall, the residual charge obviously causing him pain.  "Let's try this again, shall we?  The blonde, what do you know about her?"

"What's in it for me, mate?"  Typical opportunist.  

"Firstly let's get one thing clear, I am **not your mate," I snarled, "as for what's in it for you, how about your life?"  He seemed to reconsider.**

"What d'you wanna know?"  That damn gravelly voice was beginning to irritate me.

"First, where is she?  Second, who took her?  And third, why was she taken?  Think you can manage that?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well where she is, your guess is as good as mine.  As to who took her, I don't know names, only reputations.  Why?  Revenge, at least that's what I heard.  Someone wantin' to get back at some guy, can't remember his name proper, Mul-somethin', I think.  Is tha' enough for you?"  My heart twisted in my chest as I strove to keep my face blank; I couldn't let my captive know who I was.  

"Who took her?" I pressed him for an answer.

"I told you, I only know reputations."

"The reputation then," I snapped.

"He's one of your kind, one of you freaks.  Calls himself gifted, so he does.  Does all sorts of _unnatural things.  No-one knows his name, only once he's got you, there's no getting away," he looked up at me questioningly, "who is she anyway?  I heard she was one of you freaks as well."  I was too angry to care that he knew about New Mutants,_

"We are not freaks," I charged a tiny coil and watched as his eyes followed it fearfully.   

"Whatever," he tried to maintain his composure, "but I ain't never heard of him to go after his own kind, he must really hate this bloke."

"And this bloke really hates him," I muttered.  Comprehension dawned in his eyes, finally,

"You're the guy he's out to get, you're that Mul-somethin'," he shrank back as if burned, "I don't know any more, honest!"  

"Congratulations," I replied dryly and with a deft knock on the head he fell flat to the ground.  I knew he would wake in a few hours, as I walked away from his prone figure, and soon tales of a freak who could throw lightning would join the other drunkards' stories.

*   *   *

Dawn was beginning to creep delicately over the eastern horizon, spreading hesitant tendrils of light, pushing away the dark.  My eyes however remained dark as I sat watching the sun rise, my heart darker still as a heavy despair settled on it, for I knew now, I was the reason she was gone.

TBC…


End file.
